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Schema::create(), table(), drop(), dropIfExists()

Beginner5 min read·lv-14-003
sql

Concept

Laravel's Blueprint provides methods for every SQL column type, mapped to database-appropriate types across MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQLite.

String and text:

  • string(string $column, int $length = 255): VARCHAR(n).
  • char(string $column, int $length = 255): Fixed-length CHAR(n).
  • text(string $column): TEXT (65KB).
  • mediumText / longText: MySQL MEDIUMTEXT (16MB) / LONGTEXT (4GB).
  • tinyText: MySQL TINYTEXT (255 bytes).

Numeric:

  • integer($col) / tinyInteger / smallInteger / mediumInteger / bigInteger: Signed integers.
  • unsignedInteger / unsignedBigInteger: Unsigned variants.
  • decimal($col, int $precision = 8, int $scale = 2): Fixed-point decimal. Use for money — never float.
  • float($col, int $precision = 53): Floating point. Imprecise — avoid for financial values.
  • double($col): Double precision float.

Boolean and binary:

  • boolean($col): TINYINT(1).
  • binary($col): BLOB.

Date and time:

  • date($col): DATE.
  • dateTime($col, int $precision = 0): DATETIME with optional microsecond precision.
  • timestamp($col, int $precision = 0): TIMESTAMP.
  • timestamps(int $precision = 0): Adds created_at and updated_at as nullable timestamps.
  • softDeletes(): Nullable deleted_at timestamp.
  • year($col): YEAR.
  • time($col): TIME.

Special:

  • json($col): JSON (MySQL/PostgreSQL native JSON).
  • uuid($col): CHAR(36) or UUID depending on driver.
  • ulid($col): CHAR(26).
  • ipAddress($col): VARCHAR(45).
  • macAddress($col): VARCHAR(17).
  • enum($col, array $allowed): ENUM(...) — MySQL only.
  • set($col, array $allowed): SET(...) — MySQL only.

Code Example

php
<?php
Schema::create('users', function (Blueprint $table) {
    // Primary key variants
    $table->id();                        // BIGINT UNSIGNED AUTO_INCREMENT PK (shorthand for $table->bigIncrements('id'))
    // $table->uuid('id')->primary();    // UUID primary key
    // $table->ulid('id')->primary();    // ULID primary key

    // String types
    $table->string('name', 100);         // VARCHAR(100)
    $table->string('email')->unique();   // VARCHAR(255) with unique index
    $table->char('country_code', 2);     // CHAR(2)
    $table->text('bio')->nullable();     // TEXT

    // Numeric types
    $table->unsignedSmallInteger('age')->nullable();
    $table->decimal('balance', 12, 2)->default(0.00); // use for money
    $table->unsignedInteger('login_count')->default(0);

    // Boolean
    $table->boolean('is_active')->default(true);
    $table->boolean('email_verified')->default(false);

    // Date/time
    $table->date('date_of_birth')->nullable();
    $table->timestamp('email_verified_at')->nullable();
    $table->timestamps();               // created_at + updated_at
    $table->softDeletes();              // deleted_at

    // JSON
    $table->json('preferences')->nullable();
    $table->json('metadata')->nullable();

    // Enum (MySQL)
    $table->enum('role', ['admin', 'editor', 'user'])->default('user');

    // UUID for related models
    $table->uuid('external_id')->nullable()->unique();
});

// Column modifiers (chainable)
$table->string('phone')->nullable()->after('email');
$table->integer('sort_order')->default(0)->unsigned()->comment('Display order');
$table->string('slug')->unique()->index()->after('title');
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